bounced along the wood floor. He was out the door before anyone could react.
“Go after him!” I screamed, pointing at Enoch with my good arm. “You have to stop him, Enoch.”
The bloodlust he was in was too profound. Ignoring the seriousness of the moment, he prowled towards me as I stumbled back. “Eve will hate you if you kill me.” It was the only thing I could think to say.
But it was the right thing. The invocation of her name was enough to wake him from his thrall. He tore out of the cabin so fast, the door’s top hinge broke.
Asa glared at me for a second, baring his fangs. Unlike Enoch, I had nothing in my arsenal to scream that would stop him from eating me.
Giving an exasperated growl, he chased after his brother and Abram. The door, which could take no more abuse, slammed flat on the floor.
Chapter Seven
Titus
After plucking the blade from my bicep and giving my suit just enough time to heal me, I ran after the Nephilim and immediately regretted bragging to Asa that I was strong and fast enough to keep up with them now. Although the fact that Abram had somehow become even faster from his transition from just a (not-so) humble Asset to a vampire should take the Nephilim down a notch.
I didn’t know where Abram was headed. I didn’t even think he knew, but I did know that this terrain sucked. It was all dust and rock, briars and boulders, steep climbs, deep valleys, and cold freaking rivers. I slogged across a wide one, gritting my teeth as I pushed through the frigid water. It was in the water that I lost sight of Enoch, but I knew the direction he’d been running. I pushed uphill, my thighs burning from the effort. Through a copse of trees, when the trunks and branches abruptly stopped, along with the earth, Enoch caught me just before I ran off the edge of a cliff.
My heart pounded. “Where’s Abram?”
“Brace yourself,” Enoch warned. “He just jumped.”
Oh, shit. I glanced at the back of my hand. My tech was working. I hoped Eve’s was.
I winced, anticipating the shredding pain of travel, waiting to be pulled along with him, but nothing happened.
The seconds ticked away.
I opened my eyes and looked around. Enoch and Asa circled me cautiously.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Then five.
“Why isn’t anything happening? We’re linked.”
Asa spoke up. “You were linked. Perhaps you no longer are. I mean honestly, brother. You couldn’t even keep the pest from talking back to you. Did you actually think he wouldn’t be strong enough to resist you? Your bond to him must have weakened significantly,” he said with a fake pout. “Perhaps your strength is dwindling over the ages, Enoch.”
While Asa was busy being a dick, I considered the worst-case scenario, threading my fingers together behind my head. “That means he could have already made it home.”
“No. It means he did,” Enoch corrected. “Maru just landed, Titus. He brought word that Kael programmed your tech to bring you back to him.”
“Maru is here? Here-here?” I pointed at the ground to punctuate my question. Enoch nodded. “So Kael is finally bringing us home…” I mused. “Wait – how long do we have here?”
Enoch pressed his lips together and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We aren’t exactly sure. Maru thinks seventy-two hours, but with Abram jumping, Kael may alter the timeline.”
For a second, I didn’t even care about Kael’s plans. I almost sighed with relief. At least with Maru here we had another human in our corner, and a resourceful one at that. “We need to find Maru and Eve.”
“They will meet us at Falling Branch,” Enoch confirmed.
Oh, perfect.
Yeah. Great plan.
NOT.
I looked at Enoch. “We need to find Eve before Terah does. Maybe we should let the good sheriff know what she’s up to,” I deadpanned, glancing at Asa, who didn’t even bother reacting to my jab.
Enoch turned and began retracing our steps. “Do you need time to rest and recover?” he called back over his shoulder.
“I’m good,” I said, jogging after him.
Asa chuckled at my back. “You should’ve been honest.”
“I was hon–”
The dark hue of Asa’s head passed me in a blur, and I groaned before running to try to catch up with them. I didn’t need to rest. I did, however, need a head start next time.
“How is Eve?” I yelled into the wind, hoping Enoch heard me.
I startled and screamed like a little girl when he appeared next to me,